Engineering faculty honored with 2019 Lehigh University Awards

Lehigh University recognized several Rossin College faculty members with university-level awards during the 2019 Lehigh Faculty and Staff Appreciation Dinner held April 30 at Stabler Arena.

The following honors were presented by President John Simon (left, in photos) and Provost Patrick Farrell (right, in photos) before a crowd of more than 500 staff and faculty gathered for the occasion.

View a complete listing of the 2019 Lehigh University Awards here. Photos by Ryan Hulvat Studios.

2019 Lehigh University Awards — Rossin College Faculty

Kristen Jellison at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Deming Lewis Award — Kristen Jellison

The Deming Lewis Award is named for Lehigh’s tenth president. This award is given by the 10-year reunion class and is presented to the professor who they feel has most significantly influenced their educational experience.

Kristen Jellison is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, and her PhD from MIT. Her nominators described her as “Fantastic. A great and inspiring teacher.”

Jellison has received the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation and has a grant from that organization. She’s also a co-adviser of Lehigh’s Engineers Without Borders Program.

Faculty Profile: Kristen Jellison

Dan Frangopol at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Hillman Faculty Award — Dan Frangopol

This award recognizes a faculty member who has distinguished themselves through long-term service to the institution.

In a university full of renowned faculty, Dan Frangopol, the Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, stands out as a leader in his field. His research has changed the world and made it a better place.

Frangopol’s main research interests are in the development and application of probabilistic concepts and methods to civil and marine engineering. His research, teaching, and service have garnered numerous awards for distinguished and long-term excellence in research that has brought national and international recognition to Lehigh University.

Faculty Profile: Dan Frangopol

Kelly Schultz and Brandon Krick at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Libsch Early Career Research Award — Kelly Schultz and Brandon Krick

The Libsch Early Career Research Award is shared this year by two faculty demonstrating tremendous promise in their research areas.

Kelly Schultz, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has positioned herself at the forefront internationally in the area of rheology, in particular, at the interdisciplinary junction between stem-cell biology and its interaction with micro-particle gel rheology. Her accomplishments to date identify her as a leading and highly creative experimentalist. Schultz’s research is featured in this video.

Brandon Krick, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, has amassed 42 articles in print, five papers in conference proceedings, and 85 conference presentations. He holds six patents, and has more than 850 citations—all of which are outstanding for someone at this stage of his career. Equally impressive are the awards his students have received: Five of his PhD students and four of his undergraduates have been recognized for their research.

Nelson Tansu at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Libsch Research Award — Nelson Tansu

Nelson Tansu (pictured third from left), the Daniel E. '39 and Patricia M. Smith Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the director of Lehigh University's Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN), is an internationally renowned scholar whose work has garnered more than 6,000 citations. He was instrumental in setting up a key research facility in nanofabrication and material synthesis — the Smith Family Laboratory for Optical Technologies — during his first two years as an assistant professor. His federally funded research over the past 15 years totals more than $13 million. (Peter Zeitler (pictured second from left), a professor of earth and environmental sciences, also received the award.)

Faculty Profile: Nelson Tansu

Vincent Grassi at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Award for Excellence in Teaching — Vincent Grassi

The Stabler Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates an exceptional talent for encouraging students to understand alternatives and to make choices, and who knows how to extract from students the full measure of their potential to learn.

Those who nominated Vincent Grassi, a professor of practice in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, say his passion for his profession is evident in every second of his teaching. His personal investment in the success of each of his students exceeds all expectations.

Faculty Profile: Vincent G. Grassi

Hillman Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising — Hank Korth

The Hillman Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising recognizes exemplary student advising: guiding students through their exploration and pursuit of an academic course of study and assisting them in the development and/or completion of research related to their degree program.

Hank Korth, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has guided his students through a very specific course of study that has close applications to the Computer Science & Business program, for which he also serves as the co-director. He has taken the initiative to provide opportunities to those students interested in pursuits outside of the classroom to further their passions.

Faculty Profile: Hank (Henry) Korth

Natasha Vermaak at 2019 Lehigh Awards Dinner

Hillman Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising — Natasha Vermaak

The recipient of the Hillman Award for Excellence in Graduate Advising, Natasha Vermaak, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, has a passion for promoting women’s participation in STEM fields. She involved her students with several outreach programs that she organized with local Girl Scout troops and Lehigh’s CHOICES program to foster middle school girls’ interest in pursuing careers in STEM. She also encourages students to take the lead in promoting equal opportunity for women in science and engineering.

Faculty Profile: Natasha Vermaak

Department/Program:

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Civil & Environmental Engineering

College of Engineering

Computer Science & Engineering

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics

Computer Science and Business

Institute for Cyber Physical Infrastructure and Energy

Institute for Data, Intelligent Systems, and Computation

Institute for Functional Materials and Devices